The setting for this year's edition of the Ball State and Indiana State rivalry is the same, but it is also different.
For the second straight year, the Cardinals and Sycamores will tangle in Ball State Stadium. But when the season opens tonight, lights will be on for the 7 p.m. start, the first night game in the stadium's history.
Ball State holds a 37-23-1 advantage in the series and has won seven of the last eight contests, including a narrow 23-21 victory last year.
With all the usual hype of a season opener, coupled with the excitement of playing under the lights, and the Sycamores itching for revenge in the rivalry, Brady Hoke calls the emotions for his first game as head coach a "touchy situation."
"Some teams have showed no emotion before, then they come out and play lights out," Hoke said. "Some have a lot of emotion and play bad, or play lights out. That's all part of it.
"Whenever you're playing a rivalry game -- and this is a rivalry -- it can go either way and both teams will be prepared to play. I can think back to when I played, and what great contests we had. Being at Michigan for eight years, and seeing how coach (Lloyd) Carr went about things (with rivalry games), believe me, I've learned a lot."
Hoke feels comfortable about both his offense and defense, but said the biggest unknown is in the punting game. Since senior punter Reggie Hodges was declared academically ineligible, third-year sophomore and former walk-on Philip Ems has won the job for now after a "tight battle" with veteran Phil Cunningham.
"Phil Ems has really improved himself as a punter, but obviously without Reggie -- a guy who could really change field position -- in there, that's something we'll have to look at," Hoke said.
Senior Mike Langford will again do the placekicking, while freshman Brian Jackson will handle kickoffs.
At quarterback, Andy Roesch was named the starter last week over fellow fifth-year senior Talmadge Hill. Junior Scott Blair is the likely starter at tailback, where Marcus Merriweather graduated after amassing three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Indiana State's quarterback is an unknown commodity, but one sure thing is junior running back Jake Shields, who shared time last year and will work behind four returning offensive lineman. Shields caught an 84-yard touchdown pass on the first play against the Cardinals last year. Tight end Ryan King led ISU with 23 catches in 2003.
"He's a threat," Hoke said of King, "and when you have a tight end who's a threat, it puts a little more pressure on the defense. The running back runs hard and does a good job with the ball in his hands."
On defense, Hoke cited safety Terrance Miles and linebacker Kevin McDavid as players to watch.
One benefit Ball State may have over the Sycamores is defensive coordinator Mark Smith, who joined Hoke's new staff after 15 years as an assistant in Terre Haute.
"He has an idea of the kids," Hoke said. "Obviously he knows their talent level to some respect and a little bit of the system. That helps, but still, those 11 players are out there playing.
"We have a solid plan of what we want to, I think the kids understand that, and it'll be fun to watch them go out there and execute."
Only tonight, they will execute under the lights.
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